The Bourne Crisis
by IMySpyEye
Summary: Sasuke comes back after killing Orochimaru. Sasuke is acting weird. Naruto is confused. Kakashi is amused. Tsunade is furious. Everyone else is just shocked at seeing the formerly stoic Uchiha using pickup lines on Naruto. SasuNaru
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**warning:** Foul language, extreme deviation from plot, first time fic.

* * *

The sun was shining brightly overhead, without a cloud in sight, basking the figure trudging along with its too hot rays in the already dry weather. Dark eyes looked ahead, sight blurred from dehydration, to see the edge of a forest.

Sweat trickled down the side of his face. Dark hair, normally defying gravity, was now plastered to his forehead. He momentarily contemplated wiping the sweat with his forearm to stop it from stinging his eyes, but then decided that he didn't have enough energy to waste on such frivolities.

A few hours more of barely conscious walking later, he could see the Konoha village gates. _Fucking finally._ He continued walking dragging along his load behind him.

* * *

Shindo was the newest recruit in his Anbu team. He wasn't the smartest ninja in his team or the fastest or even the best strategist. But he never missed any change of detail in his environment, no matter how small. And that's why he was the first to notice Sasuke Uchiha; S class missing nin, possibly the last of the illustrious (albeit fateful) Uchiha clan, Sharingan wielder , Konoha's resident prodigy.

He knew that the Uchiha heir had joined the ranks of Orochimaru in search of power. He also knew the Hokage had sent several search parties to retrieve said Uchiha and that they had failed. Which was why he was baffled to see him coming to Konoha willingly. And his confusion was why he didn't immediately notice the dead body the Sharingan user was dragging behind him.

* * *

Sasuke was sitting calmly in the seat provided to him. Maybe too calmly. He saw the Hokage sitting in front of him fuming. _She probably thinks I'm lying._

Tsunade had yet to lower her eyebrows after Sasuke had answered her question of why he did the shit that he did and why the fuck he came back. "You forgot."

_Scratch that. She definitely thinks I'm lying._ "Not forget. I don't remember. Two very completely different phenomenon",Sasuke finished with a straight face. He was leaning back in the chair with his long legs sprawled out in front of him and his left palm holding up his face, with some further assistance from the arm of the chair, as if he couldn't be bothered to use his neck.

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched. "Yes. They in fact are the same. Fucking. Thing." She said between clenched teeth.

Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes slowly. He had glanced at Kakashi just before he did, who had looked like he was even more bored than Sasuke was. He pictured Tsunade's face and felt an irrational urge to laugh. He slowly opened his eyes to see her previously aggravated expression intensified now with a throbbing vein on her right temple. Her jaw muscles working on gnashing her teeth to dust. The urge became stronger.

He shrugged.

Tsunade brought her fist down on the table in front of her effectively smashing it to pieces. She then came to stand in front of Sasuke, who glanced at the table and wondered if he should be a little worried. Then gave up, deciding that it was too much trouble.

Tsunade, meanwhile was chanting a mantra in her head. _He's the last Uchiha. He's the last sane Sharingan wielder. Can't kill him._ She saw that he'd slouched further down the chair and had once again closed his eyes. _Yet._ "You left Konoha and joined Orochimaru to attain power, so that you could become strong enough to kill your brother."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows and asked, "Oh?", as if it was news to him. Shizune forehead furrowed in worry seeing the Hokage's fury rise perceptibly.

Kakashi and Shikamaru watched on with morbid fascination as Tsunade's form started to shake slightly in controlled anger. "Why. Did. You. Come. Back." It was a statement. Each word punctuated with a shallow and ineffective calming breath taken through still clenched teeth.

Neiji stepped forward a slight tilt of his head to the Hokage as an apology for taking over the conversation. "You don't remember why you left but you remembered to come back to Konoha?" The accusation was clear in the question, though not enough, by Tsunade's opinion.

He shrugged again. Tsunade grabbed him by his shirt intending to wring his Uchiha neck when the door swung open, hitting the unsuspecting wall hard.

* * *

Naruto was panting from the run to the Hokage tower at break neck speed, Sakura at his heels, eyebrows drawn together in worry and Naruto's name on the tip of her tongue, about to ask him to slow down. Both Naruto and Sakura stopped, seeing the state of the room and its occupants. The Hokage, looking angrier than he'd ever seen her before. Everyone at their feet, not sure if they should come between the furious Hokage and the cause of her fury, or in fact if they wanted to. The Hokage's desk long deceased, reduced to a pile of firewood. Sasuke Uchiha, shirt fisted by the Hokage and about to follow in the aforementioned desk's footsteps.

Sasuke Uchiha, his (former?) best friend, one of the strongest and most promising ninja in Konoha, missing nin, was looking at him with those dark, dark eyes. No longer brooding and cold, but glinting with a strange light.

Sasuke was looking at Naruto, taking in his disheveled blond hair, big blue eyes wide with surprise, red lips parted and chest heaving with every breath. Naruto swallowed down the lump in his throat and ignored the weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. He turned to the Hokage and bowed slightly. "I'll handle Sasuke"

"Oh, you can handle me any time babe".

Every head in the room snapped to the Uchiha, the stoic loner, forever silent and brooding over his vengeance, who was now smirking at Naruto and raking his dark eyes over his form.

Everybody stood as if frozen, eyes wide and jaws dropped not sure how to react or sure about what they had heard. Everybody except Sasuke, who was still leering at Naruto; the aforementioned blond, who was blushing crimson; and their sensei who was smiling underneath his mask. _This should be interesting._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**warning:** Foul language, extreme deviation from plot, first time fic.

* * *

Naruto was busy working in the Hokage library, tasked with that week's paperwork. He lifted his head after nearly three hours of continuous scroll writing. Rubbing his sore neck, he cursed lazy Hokages and unfairly short deadlines. Naruto was the assistant or intern, as Sakura would put it, to the Hokage. _More like a slave._ Cursing one more time, he got up, stretching to get rid of all the kinks in his back and shoulders. He looking out the window, he saw the clear cloudless sky and the bright sun. _What a nice day to be wasting inside._ Memories of the times he had trained with Sakura and Sasuke came to his mind, with Kakashi reading his disgusting book - pretending to monitor their progress. Thinking of Sasuke, he felt himself smile fondly, terribly missing the other boy. Then he thought of said boy leaving, and his mood plummeted.

Naruto was so preoccupied with his dark thoughts that he visibly started when the door to the library opened, and he heard his name in a shout. Naruto turned around to see Sakura looking shocked and out of breath. "Hey, I was working all this time. I just started my five minute break." Naruto spluttered hurriedly before Sakura got a chance to accuse him of goofing off.

He stopped when he saw her expression remain unchanged, and got worried. He walked over to her and reached for her shoulder. "Sakura – ", he began hesitantly. " – are you ok?"

Sakura look at him, to his worried expression. "Naruto –", she swallowed, "– he's back".

Naruto mind immediately started processing as to who she could be talking about. But it was the flutter in the pit of his stomach that gave him the answer first.

Sasuke was back.

* * *

Tsunade had snapped after the Uchiha's blatant come-on to Naruto. She swung her fist at him with all intention of smashing his skull, which Sasuke easily dodged. Tsunade continued to attack him with her fists flying and Sasuke managing to avoid each hit. This went on for about seven minutes, after which Kakashi kicked a fallen chair back up, grabbed Sasuke by the back of his neck and pushed him into it.

And so, Sasuke once again found himself sitting in an uncomfortable chair in the Hokage's office, now with a brand new desk. Everybody else was sitting or standing in a semi-circle in front of him. He glanced around him to take stock of everyone – the levels of threat they presented. He found his eyes being drawn to the blond sitting next to the Hokage. To his open face and his blue eyes wide with disbelief.

Naruto couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him. His mind couldn't believe what his eyes were showing him._ He's grown._ That was the lone thought his brain finally threw out at him. And he had. Sasuke had grown tall – more than six feet, nearly matching their sensei. He had built more muscle as well. broad and solid. Naruto mentally rolled his eyes. Figures that's what his mind would decide to focus on.

That helped to clear his mind enough to notice dark eyes looking at him. Or ogling him would be a better fit. He saw the right corner of Sasuke's thin lips lifting. _The bastard's smirking at me._

Really, Sasuke was quite happy with the view - a tanned, blue eyed, delectable blond. He saw that pretty face change emotions in a matter of moments. Disbelief, fondness – was he blushing – and then anger when the blond noticed him staring. Sasuke's smirk widened. Yup. Sasuke liked his view very much.

Tsunade was breathing hard, from her anger rather than from exertion, her eyes narrowed and teeth bared. Kakashi could see that she was simply too angry to speak. _Looks like it's my turn. _

"Listen punk. You are in our village and you owe us a proper explanation."

Sasuke dragged his eyes from the blond reluctantly to look at Kakashi in the eyes.

"I told you old man. I don't remember"

"That's not going to cut it you brat" Tsunade spat out. "What is the last thing you remember?"

"You asking me what the last thing I remember is"

Tsunade screwed her eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of her nose. _Think happy thoughts._ She opened her eyes and tried again in a calmer voice.

"Try a little before that."

Sasuke smirked. "Telling blondie that I'm looking forward to his handling of me"

This time it was Naruto who lost it, and Sasuke found his face smarting from the large hard cover book that hit it. _Damn he's fast. And feisty._

"You will do well to remember that you are talking to the Hokage of the village, one who could throw you out on your ass before you have the time to blink."

Tsunade, in the midst of her anger at the Uchiha couldn't help but feel pride for her brat. He has matured a lot. Mature enough for the next in line for Hokage.

Sasuke's smirk never wavered. Kakashi decided to speak, "What is the first thing you remember? Your earliest memory?"

He saw the young man's eyes look at him and then seem as if they were looking right through him. Sasuke's eyes moved as if they were searching for memories on the wall behind Kakashi.

"There is a playground – with a red swing. A – dead bird – " , Kakashi heard Naruto gasp softly, almost inaudibly. He kept his eyes focused on the boy in front of him however.

Sasuke rubbed his eyes with his left hand moving on to rub his forehead. He gave out a frustrated sound, "I can't remember much. Just images which come and go."

Kakashi continued without missing a beat. "What is the first complete memory you have?"

Sasuke didn't have to think too hard about this. He had spent a lot of time wondering and straining his mind demanding it to provide him the memories he refused to believe he couldn't remember.

"Joining Orochimaru."

Kakashi nodded again, deciding to leave it at that for now, and asked," Why did you come here? You don't remember your past, so how did you know to come here?"

Sasuke took in Kakashi's masked face. From what he could see of his face, Kakashi looked calm, collected, like this was an everyday occurrence.

"I overheard Orochimaru and Kabuto – his medic nin- ", Sasuke added to explain Kabuto's presence and saw everybody nod. _Must be common knowledge._

"I overheard them talking one day. Kabuto was asking him if I would ever decide to go back. And the freak replied that a man who gives up his home for power could never retrace his steps. That I was no exception. And that Konoha had lost its last Uchiha forever."

Everyone was quiet, taking in what Sasuke said. Kakashi was the first to speak, "So you came back just to spite Orochimaru" . It was a statement rather than a question.

Sasuke smirked and shrugged.

While Naruto had steeled himself to the possibility that Sasuke would never come back, he didn't expect Sasuke to come back, and then to claim that he had come back just for the heck of it. It hurt.

"But why did you kill him?" this time it was Sakura who spoke. Over the years her obsessive crush had dwindled down to the fond affection one has for their close friend. While she did feel angry at Sasuke for abandoning team 7 and Konoha, she was angrier at him for abandoning Naruto in particular. _After all they've been through. How could he just up and leave? And now to come back like _nothing has_ changed. _She kept her face clear of all emotions. She had to be strong for Naruto's sake. For her best friend. The sweetest person she had ever met.

Sasuke could agree that though she was no blue eyed, blond haired walking fantasy material, she was quite attractive. Long pink hair (_I wonder if it's natural_), slender body, long legs and pretty face. Sasuke wondered if she and the blond were an item. He didn't like that train of thought.

"He outgrew his usefulness." He saw a flash of disbelief on Sakura's face and the start of another question. "And he tried to take over my body", he finished. Sakura leaned back feeling a little petulant at being read and wanted to take a little jab at him. "Like a vessel". Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes, "Yes, like a vessel."

"Why drag the damn corpse all the way here?" Tsunade finally had calmed down enough to talk again.

"Proof that the freak is dead."

Naruto was listening to all of this, waiting for the next question. None came up. He looked around; everyone was nodding and thinking to themselves. Tsunade got up, taking a deep breath. "Right, I'll have a meeting with the council. Let's see what they have to say" . Naruto gaped. He stood up, "What? That's it? He says that he forgot and that's all the interrogation he's going to get?"

"Not forgot. Don't remember", Sasuke oh so helpfully added.

Naruto glared at him. "If you **forgot** why you left, then why the hell did you stay with Orochimaru? You ended up getting a crush on him?"

Sasuke couldn't have stopped his smirk if his life had depended on it, "No need to get jealous sweetheart, I killed him didn't I?" Seeing Naruto's murderous glare however, he thought maybe he ought to rephrase that. "What else was I supposed to do? I didn't know where I was from, except for a few random images. And as awesome as I am, I highly doubt a red swing is enough."

Naruto didn't buy this for a second. "Yes. Clearly, staying with Orochimaru and his science club was the best course of action."

He glared at Sasuke some more. "You should have come back", it was just above a whisper, but Sasuke head it loud and clear. He couldn't believe the little idiot was guilt tripping him. He stood up as well, "How could I have come back if I didn't know where to come back to you dumb blonde".

"Who're you calling dumb you bastard", Naruto took a swing at Sasuke aiming to hit that arrogant jaw right off his arrogant skull.

Sasuke caught his wrist neatly and pulled him close, and spoke in a low voice, "I'm back now, aren't I?"

The room was quiet for long time with Sasuke still holding on to Naruto's wrist and looking down into his eyes daring him to reply and Naruto stubbornly glaring up at Sasuke, his lips pressed in a straight angry line.

Tsunade cleared her throat and spoke, if nothing else than to get the damn Uchiha's grubby paws off Naruto. "Naruto, I'm sure the council shares your sentiment. They wouldn't simply let the Uchiha walk back into the village." she looked at Sasuke triumphantly, which he took note of from the corner of his eye.

Sasuke let go of Naruto's wrist, still looking at him ignoring the Hokage. Naruto, for his part crossed his arms and proceeded to ignore Sasuke.

Sakura looked between the two, sighing in exasperation._ This is going to get vexing_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**warning:** Foul language, extreme deviation from plot, first time fic.

* * *

_Little Naruto was sitting in the small red swing in the playground. The dark and overcast skies matched his mood perfectly. He could feel fat drops of tears slide down his cheeks. He wiped them with his chubby hands, and then the sleeve of his hand-me-down shirt when that wasn't enough. He saw the front of his shirt which had a big yellow circle smiling happily, and down to the small creature lying motionless on his lap. He could feel fresh tears coming up. He couldn't cry any anymore. He thought his tears had dried up after crying for hours, but he couldn't stop sobbing painfully once again._

_The little hamster lay dead on his lap. The blonde's best friend, who never said mean things to him or ignored him and never ever hit him. The little boy could feel an immense feeling of loneliness surrounding him from the outside and threatening to choke him from the inside. He stroked the soft fur carefully; afraid he might hurt his friend, unmindful of the fact that the creature was dead. _

_It was getting dark, but Naruto refused to move from the swing. He couldn't remove the incident from his mind. The way Naruto's usual group of bullies tortured his little friend. They wanted to get back at the creature because it wouldn't come near them, but go instantly to Naruto when he called it. It was the class pet, it should go to everyone, not to a dirty orphan. It was a completely silly reason. But that didn't stop them from grabbing the fragile thing and squeezing the life out of it._

_Naruto couldn't do a thing to help his friend, the one he would talk to when all the other kids went out to play during recess, the first one to whom he shared his dreams of one day becoming the Hokage. Two other boys held little Naruto back while the leader, the meanest of the lot hurt his friend. Poor Naruto couldn't help his friend being hurt right in front of his eyes._

_The bullies let him go and Naruto rushed to the hamster. They hadn't meant to kill the it, and were feeling guilty seeing Naruto crying right there holding his friend in his small palms. _

_Naruto sighed and rested his head on the cool chain, holding up the swing, on his right. His head was hurting and fogged up, and he was feeling so sad. _

_"Hey", Naruto gasped and looked to where the voice came from. Sasuke Uchiha, the class favorite. Naruto really hoped he wasn't there to bully him, though he's never bullied him before. Never spoke to him either, but at least he never bullied him. _

_"You ok?" Naruto eyes blurred again and he quickly lowered his head, afraid to be called a cry baby, hoping that the boy would leave, and at the same time hoping that he wouldn't._

_The other boy crouched down in front of him so that he could see the blonde's face and spoke, "I'm sure he loved you" _

_Naruto burst out crying, "It's all my fault. He'd still be ok if I wasn't his friend." Naruto hid his face using his too big shirt. _

_Sasuke stood up and looked the blonde, wanting to calm him down, but not knowing how. He held the blonde's wrist, meant as a calming gesture, to show him that the other boy wasn't alone. He knew how much the class pet had meant to the other boy. He'd seen him spending almost all his time with the little creature, taking care of it, talking to it, feeding and playing with it. He'd also seen they way the bullies hurt both the boy and the little rodent. He could have stopped them. He should have stopped them. He didn't, and now one defenseless creature was dead and another one was crying over it. _

_"I'm not defenseless!" Sasuke looked down to see the other boy glaring up at him. He hadn't realized that he had spoken out loud and wondered if the blonde would have punched him if he hadn't been holding his wrist. And having a dead hamster in his hands, he added in his mind._

_"It's getting late. Shouldn't you go home?", normally Naruto would have a ready retort for that, but today, he just looked down at his dead friend._

_Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and let out a breath of air. "Come on. Let's give the rat a funeral."_

_Naruto glared again, "He's not a rat you jerk. He's a hamster and my best friend". He swallowed. " – and now he's gone."_

_Sasuke saw the sad, sad face and felt his guilt acting up again. Crap._"I'm sure you'll find another best friend"_. Naruto peeked up through his lashes and into Sasuke's eyes._ Seeing that the other boy wasn't mocking him, he gave him a small smile.

_Sasuke helped Naruto bury the hamster, and then walk with him to Iruka sensei's house, all the while ignoring said blondes protests._

* * *

Sasuke woke up from next morning, cranky as all hell. While he wasn't a morning person on any given day, he was particularly irritated today, seeing as he had to sleep in the fucking holding cell. For the safety of the innocent people of Konoha. _Yeah right_. This is probably a revenge plot by the fucking insane Hokage of the innocent people of Konoha, for hitting on that blonde. _Naruto_, his mind supplied. And along with that thought, his mood lifted considerable (not completely). Pretty Naruto, soft as hell looking blond hair, big blue eyes, and a heck of a body. He wasn't all that tall though, came just up to Sasuke's chin at the most. But Sasuke didn't mind that. Not at all.

Just as Sasuke was starting to embrace his inner pervert, he heard a loud clanging sound near the cell entrance. "Uchiha, the Hokage wants to meet with you."

_Right, Time to get this show on the road._ The sooner he could get this issue resolved, the sooner he could get back to ogling the blonde. _Somehow I don't think it's going to be that easy._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I want to thank everyone for reading my story/reviewing/following/marking it as a favorite. This is my first story ever and I am very glad it is to your liking. Couldn't stop till I got another chapter out. My longest one yet. Out of a total of four.

Also, one person had left the following review for chapter one

**anonimous **

**If I was apart of that group I would either be:**

**1. laughing my head off and thinking "I'm going to need a video camera." **

**Or:**

**2. just as shocked as everyone else but being the first to come out of it and say/ask "Is is just me or did Sasuke Uchiha, one of the broodiest (I know it's not a word but I couldn't think of anything else) just use a pick up line on Naruto?"**

I loved your review and as a thank you, I have added your second possible reaction in this chapter, attributing it to Kiba. I hope you like it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**Warning:** Foul language, extreme deviation from plot, first time fic.

* * *

Sasuke shuffled along to see the Hokage, hands cuffed – _for fucking safety. _Just to piss off every person involved , he took his own sweet time getting to the Hokage Tower. He paused every now and then, taking in the scenery of yellowed walls covered in moss and filth.

Sasuke could clearly feel the guard's annoyance at having to move at such a slow pace, almost as clear as his fear of Sasuke. The guard was intimidated by him, both due to his reputation and his large built. He knew that dealing with the Sharingan user was way above his pay grade. Sasuke smirked mentally and walked slower.

* * *

When they finally reached the Hokage's office, Sasuke was bored beyond belief, which immediately dissipated on seeing Naruto. He smirked and swaggered into the room, saw Naruto's cheeks tint with pink and stood closer to him.

Naruto, for his part, ignored Sasuke as much as he could. When the guard came to get the cuffs off of Susuke, the blonde ordered him to leave them on.

"Kinky", was Sasuke's observation. This was followed by Tsunade grabbing his shirt and pushing him into a chair – as a warning that he should stop with the comments and also because he was too fucking tall. Naruto came and stood next to Tsunade, his cheeks now redder.

The guard left, closing the doors behind him, and silently feeling sorry for the people inside. Tsunade straightened and looked at each person in the room to make sure she had their attention.

There was Neji and Shikamaru , both of whom she had specifically ordered to be there. Then there was Sasuke's old team - Sakura, Naruto (though Naruto would have been there either way seeing as he is the next in line), Kakashi and of course, the spawn himself.

Earlier she had had the meeting with the council and was now going to reveal the decision. No one except her had inkling as to what the decision might be. She had a feeling that the shit was about the hit the fan.

"The council believes him and has decided to allow him back to Konoha."

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!",Naruto shrieked. _Yup, she was right. _Tsunade tried her damnedest not to cringe at the inhuman volume of Naruto's (understandably) outraged voice. She, of course failed, along with everyone else in the room.

Naruto to his credit, _bless his heart_, lowered his voice to a more considerate level, "He betrays Konoha, decides to comeback, says he forgot why he did it in the first place and they're ok with that?!". His voice rose towards the end of the question, though thankfully not too much.

"Well, we know why he left Konoha. And he did help in killing Orochimaru, dragging his corpse along as proof", Kakashi earned himself a glare from the blonde being addressed.

Sasuke wanted to interject with an explanation of how helping kill Orochimaru was significantly different from killing him single handedly. He stopped himself, realizing that it would probably end with a flying paper weight to his face.

"It doesn't change the fact that he betrayed Konoha", Naruto turned to Neji with eyes filled with warm gratitude. That and the irritated and suspicious glare the Uchiha threw his way was enough to make Neji's day better. Naruto was a ray of sunshine, and also his dear friend. He considered himself lucky that his fate allowed him to meet such a joyful creature. He would not allow the cursed Uchiha to break Naruto's heart again.

"Exactly. Which is why he will be monitored for a stipulated amount of time", Tsunade was annoyed with all the interruption. She was still the Hokage damn it.

Sakura whispered to Kakashi, "Oh boy, this has Naruto written all over it." Kakashi nodded sagely, "Such a cliché".

Naruto was afraid to ask who would be monitoring Sasuke.

"Neji Hyuga and Shikamaru Nara, both of you are in charge of monitoring Sasuke Uchiha, up and until he is deemed not a threat".

Shikamaru sighed. _I knew I should've just stayed home._

* * *

A sufficient amount of time had passed for everyone to take stock of their feelings on the matter. Naruto was feeling an inordinate amount of relief, and a small, tiny, amount of disappointment, which he mercilessly stomped down. Sakura was feeling confused about the point of this whole thing. Kakashi feeling bored and Neji and Shikamaru feeling a cold, unnamed emotion spreading through their core. Sasuke was feeling disappointed. He had genuinely thought that it would be Naruto, and had even thought up a lewd remark.

Shikamaru closed his eyes, as if willing this to be a nightmare he can wake up from.

The three boys had deflated visibly, thoroughly put off by the very notion. But they stayed silent, recognizing an order when they heard one.

_Ah yes, it was wonderful being the Hokage._

* * *

The handcuffs were finally removed from Sasuke's person and all of them, minus Tsunade, exited the Tower. Sasuke stretched. _Finally.. Seemed like I've been in there for days. _He saw Naruto walking in front of him, and jogged to catch up with him.

"Hey, Can I have your name?" Sasuke drawled with a sexy voice and a gorgeous smile.

"Why? You lost yours?" Naruto asked unimpressed.

Kiba who happened to pass by, saw the exchange. "Is it just me, or did Sasuke Uchiha, the broodiest son of a bitch on the planet, just use a pick up line on Naruto?" Kiba's jaw dropped. He, like the rest of the village, had heard that the Uchiha had come back. But he certainly had not expected this.

The three boys stood together, watching the train wreck.

Meanwhile, Sasuke soldiered on bravely. "It's Naruto right?" Naruto promptly turned around and left. Sasuke continued to watch Naruto's diminishing back. It was such a nice back after all. Finally feeling three pairs of eyes on him, and giving a crap, he turned around. A new member – a boy with sharp canines and red face tattoos, was looking at Sasuke like he had just come across a new species of humans, and a non broody Uchiha probably was one.

Leaving Kiba behind, the three of them continued on their journey deciding to just take their time getting there. No point in rushing to a slow and painful punishment. The trip to the Uchiha compound was mostly silent, save the crunch of their feet on the dry ground. Sasuke took this time to look around, memorizing everything he saw, and at the same time seeing if he could recognize anything. Shikamaru was looking at the sky while walking, impressively not tripping once. Was the Uchiha speaking the truth? It was outrageous enough to be true, but still.

"Doesn't it bother you?" Sasuke was expecting a quiet walk, and didn't catch the question. "Doesn't what bother me?"

"Not having your memories."

"Of course it does", he kicked a hapless pebble out of the way and continued,"But being all emo about it wouldn't be of much help would it?"

Shikamaru's lips twitched. "Truer words have never been spoken"

While Neji could appreciate the fact that the Uchiha had become significantly less of a dick, he couldn't forgive him just yet. He, unlike the former avenger had his memories, and could remember all things he and his friends went through trying to bring him back. And he could remember how broken Naruto was.

The group continued walking, coming to the commercial part of the village which was always more crowded.

The tall Uchiha attracted a lot of attention, especially those of the female variety. A group of young girls huddled together in front of a cafe, looking at Sasuke shyly and giggling to themselves. One brave girl, waved a hand, crying out,"Hey, wanna hang out with us?" Sasuke smirked adding a wink for good measure, "Maybe another day." The group shrieked and fell into a fit of giggles. Neji scowled. He was starting to miss the old dickish Sasuke.

* * *

Finally reaching the Uchiha Estate, Sasuke stopped, seeing the decrepit condition it was in. A large mansion took up most of the space, with plenty of gardening area around the mansion, both of which lay in dire states. The mansion was run down beyond repair, resembling a pile of rubble rather than a mansion. The would-be garden looked more like one of Orochimaru's experiments gone wild! It was overgrown and quite probably hiding many unwanted surprises.

"It couldn't have gotten this bad in the time I'd been away. Are you sure I lived here?"

Neji answered, "You didn't take good care of it even when you were here." They heard something rustling beyond the bushes to their right. Neji continued without missing a beat," and after you left, it became the meeting place for delinquents."

"Nice".

They found a smaller building nearer the entrance almost hidden by the growth around it. They cleared the path, and cleaned the place up as much as possible. Sasuke had suggested using his fire jutsu to burn away all the weeds, but faced with unconvinced looks from both of his companions, relented to do it the old fashioned way. The building was impossibly small with one room apart from the hall, which had a part of it separated into a makeshift kitchen. The doors creaked, the air was musty, the walls were yellowed. Sasuke was just glad it had a bathroom with running water.

They looked at each other, thinking _'now what'._ Sasuke's stomach answered for him, he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. _Or was it before that._ "Any place to eat?"

The boys agreed to meet at a restaurant they had seen on the way after having showers in their respective homes, and after Sasuke promised that he wouldn't commit treachery and run away. Again.

* * *

He reached the restaurant in twenty five minutes. Most of which, had been spent with the tap open, and Sasuke waiting for the suspiciously brown colored water to clear up. He had very little money with him and hoped that it would be enough to cover today's meal. Walking in, Sasuke immediately saw Neji and Shikamaru waiting for him at a table in a corner.

As he sat down, Shikamaru pushed a small bundle of money towards Sasuke.

"To tide you over till you start doing missions"

"And when is that exactly", while Sasuke was grateful for the money, however little, he doubted that it would be enough for more than two days. _And that's stretching it._

"We are supposed to meet with the Hokage tomorrow". The waitress placed Neji and Shikamaru's orders in front of them and a bowl of unappetizing looking grey sludge in front of Sasuke. He looked up to see both of them looking at him expectantly. _Wonderful_. Giving a polite nod to the waitress, who blushed, he dug in. After eating Kabuto's cooking, this was fucking ambrosia.

The other boys hid their surprise at Sasuke still eating the broth. They had picked the disgusting concoction on purpose. They knew it was a petty way to get back at him, but frankly didn't care, and were now a bit disappointed that it didn't work. Seeing a slightly green and gagging Sasuke would have been entertaining.

A few blissful minutes of silence passed by with each of them immersed in consuming their own lunch.

"I wasn't all that bad before was I? Sasuke asked Neji. He was genuinely curious. With the way everybody's been treating him so far, he was starting to wonder if maybe he had been hated even before he left the village. And if that was the case, then how much of a bastard he must have been.

He was answered with twin snorts from both the boys, "Of course not. You were delightful." Well, that answered his question.

* * *

Sakura sighed and looked at Naruto. They were standing at the usual meeting spot. His mind was elsewhere and she couldn't blame him. _After what happened yesterday – Sasuke coming back, and that too without his –_

"He doesn't remember us". Naruto finished her train of thought. _ Me. He was about to say me._ But Sakura remained silent.

Sakura bit her lip, unsure how to respond to that.

"He's not Sasuke".

_Huh. "_Naruto, it is him. His chakra signature, DNA, not to mention his Sharingan – " Sakura shook her head. " It's Sasuke."

"Maybe physically at the most." Naruto scowled, " – but come on, you heard him talk right?"

Here she giggled. It was immensely entertaining for everyone, except Naruto and probably Tsunade. Sakura could remember how Sasuke would ignore all the girls' attention, brushing them off without a thought. And now, to see him using pickup lines was – satisfyingly hilarious, and a little disturbing. Sakura sobered up after seeing the glare Naruto aimed at her, though it was a little mellowed down by his pink cheeks.

She cleared her throat, "You're right. Maybe it's actually Orochimaru in Sasuke's body who was hitting on you."

The mix of horror, disgust and outrage on Naruto's face made her break into a fresh bout of laughter.

* * *

This was his favorite place in the village. The Hokage Mountain, always tranquil and almost nobody came up here. Sasuke was the only other person he had shared his sanctuary with. He tilted his head back feeling the wind blow his blonde hair around his face. Though his talk with Sakura had eased his mind a bit, he still couldn't get the thought out of his head. _He is not Sasuke._ Naruto closed his eyes and his mind drifted back to the time before Sasuke left. The way Sasuke would look at time when they were alone. His special smile that was meant just for Naruto. Naruto could feel his lips forming a smile, loosing himself in his memories.

Naruto lifted his head up, bit his lip to calm down and gave out a frustrated sigh. He turned to the intruder angrily, "What?"

Sasuke couldn't move his eyes away from the beautiful sight. He had meant to call out to the blonde, but just couldn't bring himself to do it. Seeing Naruto sitting there so peaceful, head tilted back, hair framing his face, and that beautiful smile on his lips; Sasuke's tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. It refused to get unstuck even after Naruto's angry demand.

Naruto rubbed his face with his right palm. _He needed to calm down_. Then a thought struck him, "Wait, how did you know I was here?"

Sasuke had, fortunately, by this time got his tongue to co-operate. "Followed your chakra", he blurted out, and mentally slapped his forehead. It was clear that the blonde had been masking his chakra. _Crap._

Naruto looked at him suspiciously, but didn't call him on it. "Something you need?", and regretted the question immediately, dreading the impending lewd reply.

Sasuke cleared his throat, "Actually I wanted to give you this". He handed Naruto a small box covered with a soft red cloth.

"It was a hamster. Not a bird", and with that, he turned around and left.

Naruto watched Sasuke till he disappeared, trying to piece together what he had said. When it clicked, his eyes widened. With a slightly trembling hand he removed the cloth. It was a cage. Inside of which was a fluffy little hamster sleeping peacefully. He stroked the soft fur, careful not to disturb its sleep.

_He remembered._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**warning:** Foul language, extreme deviation from plot, first time fic.

* * *

_"Sasuke", Naruto gasped. The dark haired boy was too busy devouring the blonde's neck. He did however, bite down a bit harder at the juncture where the blonde's shoulder met his neck. "Sasuke – ", he tried again. "S-Sasuke. Stop. Someone might see us". Sasuke pulled away, annoyed. He placed his hands on either side of Naruto's face, on the tree Naruto was currently leaning on and closed his eyes. He took deep breaths, trying to calm down. Kakashi had sent them off to spar with each other, and they had snuck of to do more interesting things._

_Naruto bit his lip, looking up at Sasuke's annoyed expression guiltily. "Sasuke", he began hesitantily. "Everytime. Everytime, you tell me to stop. Tell me Naruto, do you not like this?" Sasuke, still keeping Naruto trapped between his hands, asked his blonde idiot. Naruto's eyes widened and answered hurriedly. "I DO!", and promptly slapped both his palms on his mouth._

_"Hn.", Sasuke took one last calming breath and started walking towards the training area where he could sense Kakashi and Sakura still sparring. Naruto hurried to his side. The silence lasted for three minutes. "I'm sorry". The blonde's voice was less than a whisper, but Sasuke heard it just the same. He always does. He ran a hand through his hair, and looked into Naruto's eyes. "It's ok idiot"._

_Naruto bit his lip, speaking again after five minutes. "Do you think we should tell them?" _

_"I told you before. I don't care either way." Naruto turned to him, hoping the other boy wasn't really mad at him, intending to apologize again. But his breath caught in his throat. Sasuke was looking at him, not with the cold aloof eyes he usually holds, but with soft eyes and a cross between a smile and a smirk. It was the closest he'd seen Sasuke smile. It was beautiful. And it was for him._

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes and looked at his alarm clock. Five minutes to Seven twenty. He sets his alarm to ring at Seven twenty. Turning his eyes towards the ceiling, he wondered about the dream, wondering if Sasuke would have left if Naruto had just –

No. he had to stop thinking about what ifs. There was no point. The bastard does what the bastard decides he wants done. It was as simple as that. He did miss those kisses though. His mind wandered to the present Sasuke. So very different from the Sasuke he knew. He wondered if this Sasuke's kisses were different. And froze right there.

_He is not Sasuke_.

He was just a pervert. **His** Sasuke never made such – such – disgusting comments. Naruto blinked, furrowing his forehead . Did he? He thought back. The Sasuke from the past was a pervert in his own right, there was no denying that, but he would never be so – vocal about it.

The blonde frowned. Was forgetting his family's massacre enough to change him so drastically? After all, hadn't he simply traded the horrors of his past with fresh ones he undoubtedly must have come across working with Orochimaru?

The blonde nodded to himself

_He is not Sasuke._

* * *

Sasuke sneezed, which everybody ignored. As far as they were concerned, they hoped he got the worst cold ever, along with the world's worst head ache.

Tsunade was getting tired of losing her temper, which she (mostly) had control over with the help of her sake. She looked at the puddle of sake mournfully. She had broken her last bottle in anger while waiting for the Uchiha to show up. _It was all the damn Uchiha brat's fault_.

While Neji and Shikamaru had reported at seven sharp, the Uchiha was twenty minutes late. It was only right that she shout at the arrogant brat, ignoring his excuses involving bad plumbing and brown water.

She also shouted at Neji and Shikamaru for not simply dragging the Uchiha's late ass all the way to the Hokage Tower. Needless to say, all three were in a bad mood when they finally left the Tower after two hours. Only ten minutes of which were actually about their summon.

"Well, that could have gone better"

Neji was pissed off as hell. "You think?" he spat. In all these years, he had never. **Never**, gotten shouted at by the Hokage. And now he had. _It's all the damn Uchiha's fault_.

Shikamaru sighed. _So fucking troublesome_. "Come on, let's get this fucking over with." Sasuke's mood was a little better than the others though. He was going to see Naruto.

* * *

The three boys found themselves in the Academy. Naruto worked in the academy every other day, helping out with the students. Today happened to be one of those days. Kiba was there too, trying to get Naruto to ditch is work and train with him.

Sasuke was in front of a rather strict looking Naruto. Unlike the previous times Sasuke had seen Naruto, he was cool, calm and collected; Hair neatly combed and face wiped of all expression. He was all business and looked in control. It was kind of hot. Sasuke couldn't help dragging his eyes all over this new side of Naruto. All prim and proper. _I wonder if I can ruffle his feathers when he's like this._

He smirked. "So how's the rat?" Naruto's expression (or lack thereof) didn't change. He walked up to Sasuke and stomped on his foot. Hard. _Probably not._

When Sasuke bent down slightly in pain,_Fuck that hurt,_ Naruto grabbed Sauke's jaw and brought his lips close to Sasuke's ear (much to Sasuke's utter delight).

"HE'S NOT A RAT."

Sasuke didn't know the human voice could get that loud. Especially the voice of such a tiny blonde. After Sasuke straightened up in shock, Naruto continued in a normal volume. "He's a hamster. And he's fine"

Sasuke could have sworn he saw Naruto smirk. But when he looked again, his face was as emotionless as before. As hot as this version of Naruto was, it didn't suit him. According to Sasuke's opinion, Naruto looked better in all his emotional glory; Hair all mussed up, eyes bright and full of life, that confident tilt to his head. He looked like a fucking hurricane personified. But nobody asked for his opinion, and so he kept his fucking mouth shut.

Neji and Shikamaru were curious. Really, they were. But thery were in too much of a bad mood to really indulge in it. They'll just ask Naruto later.

Naruto took one last look at each of them and stated talking. "Uchiha, until you are deemed not a threat, you will not be able to go on Shinobi missions. " He held up a hand as a signal for Sasuke to shut the fuck up, adding a glare to make the signal clearer.

"Therefore you will help in taking care of a class of students from the academy."

Neji and Shikamaru smirked at Sasuke's misfortune.

"And Neji and Shikamaru will be joining your mission"

Their smirks fell.

Sasuke was confused. "I'm considered a threat and so you make me take care of some kids?"

"Neiji and Shikamaru will be there to keep an eye on you."

It couldn't be that hard. It was just a bunch of students. It was doable.

"Which level are they in?"

Now even Neji and Shikamaru could see the smirk on Naruto's face.

"Kindergarten"

_Fuck._ It was all that damn Uchiha's fault.

* * *

Sasuke was starting to wish he hadn't killed Orochimaru simply so he could unleash these beasts on the fucker. He was secretly glad that the other two were suffering as much as he was.

He was currently sitting on the floor while a bunch of little boys were running circles around him, pelting him with what he hoped were bits of crayon.

Neji was sitting in a chair that was struggling to hold his large frame. He was surrounded by a bunch of little girls and in the process of getting a hair make over. The girls oohing and aahing over his hair at random intervals.

Shikamaru had passed out in the middle of the floor with some kids poking him with pencils and colors.

The Academy teacher in charge of the class walked in, "Ok kids, time to go home." She clapped her hands once, smiling at the children.

Sasuke, Neji and Shikamaru had never moved so fast in their lives.

The teacher blinked at the empty space where the three shinobi had been.

* * *

The three ninjas didn't stop till they reached the restaurant they had eaten in the previous day. They collapsed in a chair each, at the same table as before.

"Holy fucking shit"

" Fucking insane"

"Un fucking believable"

Shikamaru was the first to snap out his cursing stupor," Aren't they supposed to get tired and nap at some point?"

Sasuke looked at him, still a bit in shock." Weren't you passed out on the floor?"

"I was playing dead."

Sasuke nodded absently. _Not a bad idea. Too bad it didn't work_.

He turned to Neji ,"How long are we supposed to watch over them?"

Neji had yet to move. He swallowed, "One week"

The three of them groaned and face planted on the table.

_This was going to fucking suck._

* * *

They were in one of the other Academy classes. The trio had wanted to meet Naruto. And since Naruto was working here today and seeing as they were also working here, it was a simple matter of just locating Naruto within the Academy. And they did. He was currently sitting on the teacher's chair listening to their woes.

" – and then they dumped the fucking glitter down the back of Neji's pants. " Sasuke finished. "You have to assign us to a different mission".

"I don't **have** to do anything. And I'd appreciate it if you would stop cursing inside the Academy premises."

Sasuke leaned over him, trying to intimidate him into release them from this crazy ass mission. There was no way they could last five more days tending to the Kindergartners. Naruto sat with his arms crossed, completely unphased.

Sasuke said nothing, simply looking at Naruto. Naruto rolled his eyes. Pervert is probably thinking up some freaky fantasy.

"Have we kissed before?"

Naruto froze, and then almost immediately unfroze. "NO". He scoffed nervously."You wish."

"Yeah you have. Remember the time we were in the academy? Shikamaru pushed you on him –" Kiba blabbed on without noticing Naruto's dark aura.

Shikamamaru however, had. He did not want to deal with the fall out. _That fucking mutt_.

"– and then you guys kissed. It was so fucking funny – ", he paused, finally noticing Naruto's death glare (which looked suspiciously like Sasukes ex-glare). " – and it never happened" He finished pathetically and swallowed.

"Yes we did." Sasuke murmured in a distant voice, still looking at Naruto, while searching his mind.

Naruto got up, getting back in control again, "No we didn't, and your mission has been extended for one more week.", and he left dragging Kiba along by his collar.

"Nice going Uchiha"

* * *

Naruto was staring at his ceiling, he had moved out of his old apartment long back. Better job, better pay, better accommodations.

He sighed and rolled over to look at his alarm clock – 1:50 A.M

"Crap", he rolled back snuggling his face into his pillow and looked out the window. It was pouring outside. _Probably making up for all the sunshine_. While he didn't particularly hate the rain, it wasn't helping his mood any. Naruto was a positive person by nature and was sick of being all moody for the past couple of days. Besides, _being moody was the bastard's job_. Naruto gave out a frustrated sound and pressed his face further into the pillow trying to suffocate the misery out of himself.

He jumped when he heard a sharp and urgent knocking on his door. He lifted his head and looked at the door, not sure if he had heard right or if he had finally lost it.

As if in answer, the other person knocked again. This time, louder. And didn't stop.

Thoroughly annoyed now, Naruto got up and pried the door open. He was shocked to see Sasuke. And then was shocked to be shocked. It was bound to happen sooner or later.

"What the hell! What do you want, you stalker? How did you know where I live?"

Sasuke was completely drenched, his clothes heavy with water and hair plastered to his forehead. But his expression was what made Naruto stop talking. It was the most serious he had seen Sasuke look since had he come back.

"I remembered "

"Wha – "

"Our kiss. I remember"

Naruto sighed. He closed the door behind him, no way was he letting the perv take a look inside his home.

"Look Sasuke, it wasn't a kiss, it was an accident"

Sasuke's expression never changed.

"I wasn't talking about that." He placed both his hands on either side of Naruto's head. Leaned down and pressed his lips to Naruto's slightly parted ones. _Oh, that kiss_.

Sasuke lifted his head and looked into wide blue eyes. Then, kissed him again. This time more firmly, and longer.

After he was satisfied, he pulled away, looked at Naruto for two minutes searching his face, and left.

Naruto touched his lips.

_His kisses were the same._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Again, thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows. On a side note, I will be posting another story either today or tomorrow. So if anyone is interested, please check it out.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**warning:** Foul language, extreme deviation from plot, first time fic.

* * *

_It was a perfect day. Naruto smiled and leaned further into the warm body behind him. The sky was painted in hues of pink, purple and lavender – a beautiful sunset. They were sitting on a branch of their favorite tree. Well, Naruto's favorite tree, Sasuke didn't really have a preference. He was content with wherever Naruto chose to cuddle. The blonde's smile widened, which he hid in Sasuke's chest. _

_Sasuke's hand automatically came up to run his hand through the blonde locks. Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes, content. Sasuke was with him. So close. Closing his eyes, the blonde listened to Sasuke's heart beat steadily. He rubbed the side of his face on Sasuke's chest, feeling the strong chest and his warmth._

_The blonde felt, rather than hear, Sasuke's soft snort. "What are you doing idiot?" The boy being addressed looked at him, eyes shining with mirth. "I like your chest Sasuke", he said holding back a giggle_.

_The hand playing with Naruto's hair slipped down to stoke the cheeky blonde's right cheek. Sasuke had a small smile on his thin lips and amused black eyes. He cupped that soft cheek. "Well, I like you Naruto." And, pressed his lips against the plump pink ones in front of him._

_Yes. It was a perfect day._

* * *

Sasuke stood up and rolled his shoulders. The kids were finally quiet. Neji had to join his team for a level A mission. _The lucky bastard. _Sasuke had nothing against the Kindergartners, after a week, the three boys had finally managed to get kids to listen to them. Which was a feat in itself, the teacher had gushed. But it does tend to get maddeningly boring after a while.

It was recess and the kids were running helter skelter in the playground. It was nice to see such free innocence after all that time with Orochimaru and his merry band of sadistic freaks.

Shikamaru was lying on the grass a little ways to the right, with four kids lying around him, all examining the clouds with their new friend.

Sasuke smiled and looked around, to make sure that none of the kids had decided to get too adventurous, and frowned. Three children – a girl and two boys were standing near the slide, the girl was crying, the boys were pretty shaken up too. In front of them was a kid, bigger than all of them and holding the girl's hand tightly. _A bully._

They weren't kindergartners, but Sasuke just couldn't just stand back and watch this. He walked up to the group and stood in front of the bully, making sure he could show off his height, which wasn't really necessary since the kid only came up to just above his hip.

"Let go of her hand and go play somewhere else." The boy was about to say something rude, but after he looked up, up to Sasuke's face, he decided to listen for once.

After the boy had left, Sasuke crouched down to look at the little girl, "Are you ok? Do you need to go the nurse?"

The little girl shook her head, the two pigtails on her head whipping around. When she saw Sasuke, her big brown eyes widened, blushing adorably, she stammered, "I'm ok."

Sasuke pressed further, in a gentle voice, "Are you sure?"

The girl nodded. He turned to the boys, "What about you two?" .They nodded too. "We're ok, thank you mister."

The two boys were trying to calm the girl down. _She's got good friends._ "Does this happen often? The bullying I mean"

The taller of the two boys spoke angrily, with narrowed eyes "Yeah, he's the class bully. He's always so mean to us."

"To everybody", the shorter one chirped, his cheeks puffed out. Sasuke sighed and got up "I see, well, you can go ahead and play now". The children nodded and ran off.

Turning around and looking for the bully, he found him sitting sullenly under the shade of a large tree in one corner of the playground. Sasuke decided to join him. He could see the whole playground from that spot.

There were a group of girls of varying ages, playing hopscotch; a small line of children waiting to use the swings; quite a few kids running around screaming tag; he could even see Shikamaru and his little groupies. One of the kids had decided that the lazy ninja would make a great mattress and climbed on top of him, the others followed. Shikamaru, struggling to breathe, sat up angrily shaking his fist at them, the kids all tumbling off him and running off laughing.

Both Sasuke and the bully sat there looking at the other kids playing. After about fifteen minutes the child finally had had enough and spoke, "What do you want?"

Sasuke shrugged."Nothing. Just thought I'd give you some company."

The boy glared. "I don't need your pity. "

Sasuke simply leaned back against the tree with one leg propped up. _Man, it is really comfy here._ "Not pity. Company. I saw you sitting alone and I thought I'd join you."

"That is pity!"The boy shouted, pointing an accusing little finger at Sasuke.

Sasuke shrugged again. The boy clutched his legs to his chest tight, and glared at nothing. After five more minutes, he murmured "I don't want pity. And I don't need friends either. They all hate me anyway"

Sasuke spoke without moving his eyes from the playground in front of him "Did you ever thing that might be because you bully them?"

The boy looked down and spoke in an almost inaudible voice. "Doesn't matter. They won't talk to me anymore. I'm the class bully."

Sasuke took a breath, slowly letting it out. "Apologize to them"

The boy looked at him with suspiciously wet eyes." Why? They won't start talking to me even if I do"

"Doesn't matter. It's the right thing to do." Sasuke got up, dusting his clothes."Do you feel bad about what you did?" The boy nodded with wide eyes.

Sasuke nodded once in reply, "Apologize" Turning around to leave, he asked, almost as an afterthought. "What's your name kid?"

The boy's eyes widened in surprise. He swallowed, "Ryuga"

* * *

Playground time was over a while back, and the children were all safely deposited inside thanks to Shikamaru. Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and sighed. _He's going to be pissed._

After a while, the kids were all napping, tired from trying to drive Sasuke and Shikamaru insane. Sasuke stood near the window, looking outside at the trees. A pair of puppies, which the kindergartners had found and claimed as their own, were rolling around playing, chasing each other's tail.

Shikamaru came and stood near Sasuke. "How'd it go with the kid in the playground?"

Sasuke wasn't even shocked at Shikamaru knowing about Sasuke's and the kid's conversation even though he wasn't there at the time. He noticed that the other man tended to do that. It had freaked Sasuke in the beginning, but then, he got used to it.

Sasuke shrugged. "Don't know". He continued to look at the puppies, now chasing after an innocent butterfly, which was flying away in sheer terror. It reminded him of the time his students chased him, trying to play with his hair. They pulled at it, trying to see if it was real. Sasuke had thought he was going to go bald.

After a while he said, "I think he'll apologize"

* * *

Sasuke visited Naruto again. The blonde had been avoiding him like the plague after the kiss. He had even taken a leave of absence from both his job as the Hokage's assistant and his job at the academy. When he knocked on the door, it opened and a lone blue eye peeked out, which widened after seeing him and door tried to shut on his face.

Sasuke held it from closing. Fortunately, he didn't meet much resistance. "May I please speak with you for a minute?"

The blue eye blinked for a moment, sighed and was joined by the rest of Naruto's body, which was blushing and avoiding Sasuke's eyes.

_Damn. I'm such an ass._

"Naruto, I'm sorry about what I did the other day. I don't know what came over me. It felt right and I just –," He ran a hand through his hair. "– I can't justify what I did. And I'm not going to try. I'm sorry I did that and I won't do it again." He paused "Unless you want me too." He added, expecting, the blonde to stomp on his foot or punch him and/or shout at him.

But Naruto just blushed harder, and nodded, still refusing to meet his eyes.

Sasuke shuffled around in the same spot, feeling like a complete tool. After about two minutes of almost painful silence, consisting only of the thought that Naruto looked cute blushing, just nodded and took his leave.

* * *

The next day, the bully was sitting under the same tree. Sasuke was about to go back inside, to help Neji and Shikamaru herd the kids. But the prospect of facing down one little monster as opposed to many was too attractive, and so Sasuke joined him. Also, a small part of him wanted to know what the kid did after their little heart to heart.

Sasuke walked over to the tree, wondering how to bring about the topic and still come out looking cool and aloof. He could start talking about the meaning of life, regale the child with some of his less gorier battles and segue into teams and then into if the freaking brat took his fucking advice. Reaching the tree, he hadn't finished sitting before the boy rounded on him angrily "I apologized. They don't believe me" _That was easy._

"Look Ryuchi –"

"Ryuga."

Sasuke looked at him annoyed "Whatever. It takes a while. Stopping the bullying helps the process though"

The kid looked back to the playground with sad eyes and nodded, "They might never talk to me again."

Sasuke sighed. "You did the right thing. You can't blame them for being scared or angry; it is a consequence of your actions" He paused "I was kind of a bully once, and now no one likes me" He looked at the kid, seeing him looking back at him skeptically. "Thanks for helping me out. But, you don't have to lie to me to make me feel better. "

_Wha – why yo – that little – _"Hey, I can be pretty scary you little brat" When the child looked back at him with even more doubt, Sasuke scowled. _Damn my helping tendencies._ But he still continued to sit there, and didn't move away when the kid shifted closer.

* * *

Naruto lay in bed for a long time, not sleeping. He had a hard time sleeping after the kis – incident. After the incident. Because even saying the word kiss made him flustered and the tips of his ear burn. But, it was almost impossible to sleep after the apology. _Sasuke Uchiha did not apologize._ That was a fact that Naruto had woven into the very fabric of his small universe.

He blinked up at the ceiling, thinking back to the scene again, the tall Uchiha stuttering about how he was sorry. Naruto smiled, Sasuke had looked adorable. He then closed his eyes, recalling the kiss – _cool lips on his, firm and demanding, not taking no for an answer_. Naruto parted his lips and breathed hard. He could feel his body tingling and toes curling. Then, he frowned; after Sasuke had said that he wouldn't kiss him again, Naruto had felt the cold dead weight of disappointment. Naruto opened his eyes slowly.

_He was falling again._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **This took longer than expected. And I'm still not completely satisfied with it. Please review and let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**warning:** Foul language, extreme deviation from plot, first time fic.

* * *

_They were in Naruto's apartment, on Naruto's bed to be more accurate. Sasuke was sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him, leaning with his back against the wall. Naruto, was sitting on Sasuke's lap. It was a comfortable position for kissing. And kiss they did, with Naruto's one hand fisting Sasuke's shirt and the other burying itself in his hair. Sasuke for his part, was running the palm of his hands all over Naruto. _

_It was a series of kisses, rather than a single one. Each one, getting longer and longer. Naruto moaned, gripping his legs tighter around the dark haired boy._

_"Sasuke" .One kiss. "We need to" .Another. "go" . A particularly lingering kiss – possibly an attempt by Sasuke to shut him up. "for training"_

_Sasuke sighed, his head hitting the wall with a thump, "Fine". Just as Naruto was about to get up from his lover's lap, the other boy pulled him down for a searing kiss. They pulled apart after nearly a minute, panting for breath. Naruto placed his forehead on Sasuke's, "We're still going for training"_

_Sasuke let his head fall back again, watching the blonde's ass as he got ready. Well, it was worth a try._

* * *

Sasuke woke up, as frustrated as he had been in his dream. Running a hand through his hair, he tried to will his problem down. He'd been getting a lot of dreams lately, ever since his little visit to Naruto's in the dead of night. _Although, they seem more like memories than dreams_. Well, there was no way to make sure, apart from asking the other participant. And since that was close to suicide, Sasuke was left to wonder.

He got up and walked gingerly to the bathroom, opening the tap and letting all the brown water flow out. He couldn't understand why there was still brown water coming from his tap. He was also slightly afraid of finding out.

And that was how Sasuke spent the first half hour of his morning. Standing there, gritting his teeth against the cold and the uncomfortable hardness in his pants, waiting for some relatively clean water to take a cold shower in.

* * *

Naruto was back in the Hokage library, not completely willingly. Tsunade had sent Sakura to drag him back to work. He sat there looking morosely at the scroll in his hand, not moving even when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Naruto"

Naruto's reply was automatic, "I'm fine Sakura."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. Naruto winced when he felt the grip tighten, still occasionally surprised at the girl's strength. "Naruto, I will not let you go down this path again. Either you snap out of it and tell me what's bothering you or I'll force the answer out of you."

Naruto gulped. He didn't doubt the pinkette for a second. _She would probably break every bone in his body._ Deciding that it was time to defuse the situation, he used his secret weapon. Looking up into the face of his concerned friend, he aimed his big, sad and teary looking blue eyes at her.

The result was instantaneous. Sakura anger melted and was replaced by concern. She sat down in the chair next to her friend and placed a hand on the side of his face, "Naruto, what's bothering you?"

Naruto bit his lip, feeling a bit guilty at the raw concern shining in his friend's face. It was Sakura who spoke next, "It's about Sasuke, isn't it?" At Naruto's surprised face, she continued, "It always comes down to him, Naruto". Seeing Naruto's blush made Sakura smile.

Even though they hadn't told her outright about their relationship, she knew. Their team, due to the lack of any decent missions, were forced to take on a low level one. They had to help out an old lady weed out her garden. She had caught the two remaining members of her team making out behind a barn belonging to the old lady.

Surprisingly, she hadn't found it all that shocking. Realizing that she had seen the signs for a long time, she only felt happiness at her boys finding love with each other, something that had been lacking in both of their lives for a long time.

She was a little surprised at the passion shown by Sasuke, who was almost devouring the blonde's lips. Then again, if there was anyone who could bring the stoic boy out of his shell, it was Naruto. It was the blonde who noticed Sakura first, Sasuke was just too busy. Naruto's eyes widened and he tried to push Sasuke off him, but the other boy just took it as sign to push the blonde on the ground and continue.

Sakura had blushed furiously and walked away, hearing the blonde's muffled words, 'Getmmph ooffm yo'um bastarumph'

Sakura had gone back to the weeding, face still a little red and thinking that it had been the hottest thing she had ever seen. The boys joined her, a couple of minutes later. Naruto was looking at her guiltily while ignoring a sulking Sasuke, now sporting a black eye. She felt sad that they hadn't told her for such a long time, and it was clear that they had been together for a long time. But all the same, Sakura caught Naruto's eye and smiled. The bright, relieved smile that she received back convinced her that she had done the right thing.

Seeing Naruto looking so lost now, broke her heart. She hugged her dear friend tightly, rubbing circles on his back, "It's going to be ok Naruto."

* * *

Sasuke saw Neji on the way to breakfast. He had been heading to the cheapest store in the market, Ichiraku's ramen stall. The other man was in a bad mood, eyes narrowed and lips set in a thin line. Sasuke decided to greet him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He immediately regretted the decision when Byakugan wielder punched him in the jaw. "– the hell Neji?", Sasuke winced. That was going to bruise.

"Don't touch me traitor." Neji gritted out.

Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes._ He was getting tired of this._ While Shikamaru had, for the most part, at least stopped treating him like an enemy, Neji still continued to look at him like he was something undesirable stuck at the bottom of his shoe.

"What the fuck is your problem, asshole?" Sasuke was not going to put up with this anymore. Fine, he gets it. He was a total douche bag before, but he's not anymore.

"You're my problem you fucking prick", Neji snarled, finishing that sentence with a shove to Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke rubbed his eyes, clearly the other man was pissed off at something and was looking to vent it out on him, "Ok, let's spar then"

That response actually made Neji pause a second, then agree.

* * *

The two men lay on the dirt, panting, bruised and bleeding from various cuts. They were looking at the clouds passing by. It truly was relaxing. They could see why Shikamaru would get addicted to this. Sasuke spoke without looking at the other man, "So, what really is your fucking problem?"

The question was met silence. Sasuke turned his head toward Neji, and saw him looking back.

Neji sighed, "I'm sick of trying to please my family" He paused, then, "and failing".

Sasuke had heard about Neji's family situation. His father had passed on, leaving Neji to take over as family head. He had to prove himself worthy of the title, and according to his family, he has yet to do that. Sasuke already knew that that was just a tactic to keep Neji busy. The clan had already picked out Hinata Hyuga as the heir. Sasuke was sure that Neji knew that too, he just didn't want to face it. _He probably feels that he's failing his father._ Sasuke wondered if he had ever felt that way.

Sasuke turned back to the sky, "Then stop trying." He could see the Hyuga looking at him with a puzzled expression. "Are you sure that pleasing your family would make you happy?"

Neji mulled that over, "I'm not sure."

Sasuke shook his head slightly, "Not worth it then" He could almost predict the next words form the other man, who had sat up and was looking at him angrily, "I will not fail my father's legacy."

Sasuke sat up too. It was hard looking at the other man while lying down, "Do you think your father wanted you to feel like crap?" Neji stopped, lips parted.

"Make your own legacy"

Neji continued staring at Sasuke a little longer, then rubbed his face, smearing the blood a little, "You're fucking insane" Sasuke got up and Neji followed, "That didn't even make sense."

Sasuke just shrugged, and started walking, "Wanna get some food?"

Neji nodded and walked by his side. After a while, he muttered, "Thanks."

* * *

There were back in the Academy, the kids were sleeping, the favorite time of day for the three men. Blissful peace and quiet. Neji and Shikamaru were standing by the window, looking outside.

Sasuke was talking to the little boy from before. It looked like he was teaching him to flick rocks. Sasuke did it first, then the kid. It was probably one eighth of the distance of what Sasuke achieved. He scoffed at the small child, who said something back, probably something insulting. Sasuke scowled, before flicking the kid on the forehead and walking away.

"Do you hate him?" Neji asked, still looking outside.

"No, he's a good kid." Shikamaru replied with a smirk. Neji turned to him with a glare.

Shikamaru tried again," There's no point. He doesn't remember what he did anyway" Looking at Neji's thoughtful expression, he continued, "Everybody deserves another chance."

* * *

Naruto found himself standing in front of Sasuke's current home. He bit his lip, hesitating, feeling a flutter in his stomach. He hadn't spoken to the other man since the – incident. Even during the apology, he had simply stood there and blushed like a school girl. Strengthening his resolve, he knocked, and felt it waver when he saw Sasuke open the door, dripping wet and shirtless.

Sasuke paused, looking at the blushing blonde, surprised to see him come willingly near him. He ushered Naruto inside, running a hand through his still wet hair. He had just taken a shower, and had been trying to get his hair tamed. Even though it was wet, it still stuck up in the back.

Naruto looked around the place, eyes widening at what he saw. _This place is worse off than my old apartment_. Seeing Sasuke shift around in one place looking so unsure, he began to speak, that was the precise second he realized that he had no idea what to say, "Um, I wanted to see how you were doing"

Sasuke was a little taken back by the question, but decided to go with the flow, "I'm fine, thank you. And you? How are you?" _At least he's talking to me._

The blonde wouldn't meet his eyes, "Yes, I'm fine too". There was awkward silence, that lasted about two full minutes, during which Sasuke wracked his brains for something to say that wasn't 'You look real pretty when you blush'

Fortunately, Naruto unwittingly saved him the trouble, "About the apology, I didn't really say anything before, It's ok, I mean, I'm not angry or anything". Naruto blurted out at high speed.

It took some time for Sasuke to decipher that, he also noticed Naruto let his eyes dance over his torso, catch himself, blush and look away. He smirked, "You liked it."

Naruto's eyes finally, snapped to the Uchiha's, "Wha-?"

Sasuke's smirk never wavered, He stepped closed to the blonde, "The kiss. You liked it. Do you want me to do it again?"

The blonde's eyes widened. With every step forward that the other man took, he took a step back, "Don't – don't be ridiculous."

Naruto had run out of space and hit the wall, Sasuke stepped really close to the blonde, bringing his face nearer, "So you don't want me to kiss you ever again?"

Even the blonde's ears were red, "You're insane"_ Yeah he's been getting that a lot lately._ Looking at Naruto though, he decided that he rather liked being insane.

Sasuke brought himself impossibly closer, but he didn't block Naruto in though, allowing the blonde a way to escape if he really wanted to, "That's not an answer, babe"

"Don't call me ba-ummph", Naruto's outrage was cut short by Sasuke's lips. The blonde's lips were so soft and pliant. Sasuke had to use more self control than he'd expected, to not go overboard with the kiss. _Don't rip his clothes off. Don't rip his clothes off._ He saw blue eyes flutter closed, and felt the lips under his part slightly.

Then, as if the universe had decided that it hadn't screwed over Sasuke enough today, interrupted them with a knock on the door. Not being satisfied with being knocked, the door swung open too. Naruto shoved him away and put some distance between them. Just in time for Neji and Shikamaru to walk in.

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at seeing Naruto's blushing presence in said blonde's admirer's home.

Naruto practically yelled, "We were just talking."

Neji smirked, "Yes, I can tell that from his missing shirt"

Naruto blushed harder, muttered a good bye, a nice meeting you and rushed out.

The three of them watched the blonde almost run out of there with amused expressions. Then Shikamaru turned to the still shirtless Sasuke, "We were going to celebrate our last day as babysitters. You want to join us?"

Sasuke nodded, picking up a shirt. He smirked, thinking back to their most recent kiss.

_He had kissed him back._

* * *

**Remember, Please review. And check out my other stories.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Sorry about the late and short update. And thank you for all the reviews/favorite/follows.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**warning:** Foul language, extreme deviation from plot, first time fic.

* * *

He was fucking wasted, they all were. But the three former baby sitters still continued to drown one cup of sake after another. The other men present in the establishment thought that they were having some sort of drinking contest. They never would have guessed that they were in fact celebrating freedom from having to take care of twenty toddlers. Throughout Sasuke's inebriated state, Naruto's presence on his mind was a constant. Not even the alarming amount alcohol could burn away the feel of the blonde's soft lips against his. He kept licking his lips in remembrance.

_God, he was pretty_. Sasuke was sure he had travelled to more than a hundred villages, all over the country. But he had never met someone who had grabbed his attention like the gorgeous blonde had. That angular face and that soft tanned skin, which reminded Sasuke of a delicacy he had had in one of the villages, made him want to run his tongue all over the blonde's body.

"What was Naruto doing in your place?" Sasuke swiveled to see Neji looking at him expectantly. Sasuke had to take some time to process the question and after he had, he smirked spreading out his arms, "He wanted some of this" Neji rolled his eyes and went back to drinking.

Shikamaru took up the thread of conversation this time, "You told him that you liked him?" Now it was Sasuke's turn to scoff, "Yeah, coz I've been so fucking subtle" Shikamaru shook his head, wincing slightly at the action, "Did you actually tell him? In those words, did you tell him that you liked him?" Sasuke kept quiet, thinking._ Did constant harassment count as a confession? Hm, maybe not._

He had to remedy the situation immediately. He got up, swaying in place. He faintly heard both his drinking partners ask him if he was done already. Neji called him a lightweight and sniggered. He ignored them both and exited the place. Neji can pay for his insult by taking care of Sasuke's share of the tab.

He tottered along, trusting his legs to take him where he wanted to go. He was fairly surprised that they did in fact take him to where he had wanted to go. Sasuke was proud of his legs. He held onto the door with one hand and knocked on it with the other, and fell forward when the door opened.

Naruto stumbled when the wall on the other side of his door fell on him. He managed to steady them both and leant the taller man against the outside wall. He squinted in the dark trying to make out the identity of the man reeking of alcohol, "Sasuke?"

Sasuke smirked languidly while trying to stand up, "Hey babe. 'Sup?" Naruto leveled him with a glare, "Obviously not you. Why are you drunk? And more importantly, why are you drunk **and** at my doorstep?" Sasuke scrunched his forehead, trying to remember, "I've to say something very important" and got distracted at the soft O that the blonde's lips made. The beautiful blonde was quiet and looked at him with wide blue eyes. Sasuke blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, "I really, wanna do you" and blacked out.

* * *

_Sasuke was walking briskly through the growth, holding on tightly to the tanned hand. He stepped over a root and heard a curse from his companion when he failed to avoid it. Sasuke started walking faster, weaving in and out, getting out of the way of each obstacle. He felt a tug on his arm followed by an angry whisper, "Walk slower bastard". Sasuke ignored it and kept walking, hoping at the back of his mind that his blonde wouldn't make him pay for this trouble._

_After they finally made it to the clearing, Sasuke stopped and yanked the blonde in front of him. Naruto hadn't expected the move and stumbled, "Dammit Sasuke" The boy being addressed ignored that comment too and merely shoved the blonde to the ground, who fell with an "ooff"_

_Sasuke continued to ignore the expletives that followed and proceeded to join his lover on the ground. He pulled the blonde's legs apart and settled down on top of him. The held the other boy's face still long enough to kiss him. He was so impatient. The blonde had been driving him crazy all day, distracting him from the mission – bending down, wriggling those hips, biting his lips. He growled and pulled back. This wasn't enough._

_He nearly ripped the blonde's beloved jacket in pieces, trying to get it off of him. Naruto cursed again, "Horny bastard". He didn't understand. He didn't realize that Sasuke had completely lost his cool, and possibly his mind over his desire for the blonde. Naruto kept muttering something along the lines of 'plenty of time' and 'decency' and Sasuke wasn't paying attention. He licked his lips on seeing the delicious looking body being revealed in front of him. Bending down, he swiped his tongue over one pink bud._

_Naruto arched off the ground with a moan. Sasuke smirked, his blonde was so sensitive. He loved it. Every little sound that came from the blonde's lips only drove him to go faster. Taking the hardened nub in his mouth, he bit it lightly. The other boy emitted a loud moan and clutched at his hair._

_He moved onto the other one, still stroking the first. He rewarded the blonde with one long languid lick when he felt legs wrap around him. The blonde was panting lightly, running his fingers through Sasuke's hair, tugging it every time Sasuke got a little rougher._

_All of a sudden the blonde was pushing him away. Sasuke decided to ignore that too and continued with what he was doing. Naruto pulled at his hair and gritted out furiously, "Sasuke. Get off". The dark haired boy was immensely irritated, "What the fuck moron? I told you, no one's going to find us"_

_"Except your Sensei" The horrifyingly familiar voice made Sasuke snap his head toward the direction it had come from. His mind was blank when he saw their perverted Sensei looking at them with both his hands in his pockets and a raised eyebrow._

_He moved after God knows how long and only after the blonde pushed at him urgently. He shifted his eyes to see him clutching his jacket closed and blushing furiously. Despite outward appearances, Sasuke could tell that the blonde was beyond furious with him._

_He had repeatedly told Sasuke that it wasn't a good idea and that they would be found out for sure. But Sasuke ignored all of the blonde's protests. He had found the perfect spot after all, so far from the campsite but still be able to get there soon if needed. He had been so confident that they would be ensured privacy. He had even made sure that the spot was downwind, just in case their freakish Sensei could smell their chakra or something. Obviously, that hadn't been enough. Fuck. He'll probably never get the blonde to put out during a mission again._

_And the jerk was smiling, not knowing that he was further crushing Sasuke's chances of sex to nothing. He turned to Naruto, looking him up and down before speaking, "Naruto, you should get some sleep. It will be your turn to keep watch in a couple of hours after all". The boy being addressed nodded and started walking toward their camp, throwing one last scorching glare over his shoulder at Sasuke._

_Sasuke sighed in his mind. No more sex ever then. He turned his eyes to their Sensei when he heard him speak again, "When I said you had to keep watch. I meant it was over our entire team. Not just Naruto." He was still smiling, looking like was having the best time of his life, knowing and ignoring the fact that he had just condemned his student to a life of blue balls._

_He continued on with his little speech, because his Sensei can be an ass like that, "I know it was a simple mission. However, one must not take the job of keeping watch lightly" Sasuke gritted his teeth and started walking, he didn't need this bull shit on top of not getting laid. Ever._

_He found his path blocked by his stupid, stupid Sensei, who just couldn't seem to stop talking, still looking amused as fuck, "After all, it is to ensure the protection of your team." The ass placed a hand on his student's shoulder, "Protection is very important Sasuke"_

* * *

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	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** This was later than I had expected, so sorry about that. I Had some work in real life. And thank you for all the reviews/favorite/follows, including the guest reviews :)

Crucifix HiME had once mentioned that the new Sasuke is a lot like ROAD TO NINJA Sasuke. I saw one clip of that Sasuke online and well... I didn't expect that. Hope you still this Sasuke though.

Dragon77 wanted more of Sasuke's little buddy. Here you go.

Thank you Rosebunse for your continued encouragement. You were my first ever reviewer and you're awesome.

Also, I am dedicating this chapter to Necro Floodwaters as proof that I think that they are a very nice person. I really hope this is sufficient and that you like it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**warning:** Foul language, extreme deviation from plot, first time fic.

* * *

He was fucking furious. Sasuke was still slumped on the floor, completely out of it. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the unconscious form of Sasuke Uchiha. Former missing nin, now drunk and blacked out on his floor.

_Un-fucking-believable. _

When Sasuke had told him that he had something important to say, Naruto's heart had beat faster. He thought that maybe, the other man had remembered something from before. Some treasured memory from their life from long back. Or at least that he –

Naruto shook his head. No, he so was not going back there.

Instead, the Uchiha had gotten drunk and woken him up in the middle of the night to tell him that he wanted to dick him.

Naruto grit his teeth and glared harder at Sasuke.

* * *

Sasuke groaned at the infernal pounding inside his head. Sitting up gingerly while holding his poor head with both hands, he looked around.

The last thing he remembered was drinking with Neji and Shikamaru. Then – He braced himself against the pain in his head and thought harder.

He had gone over to Naruto's. _Uh oh._ He really hoped that he hadn't done anything stupid. And since he was still alive, he guessed he didn't do anything bad enough to make the blonde decide to kill him.

_So then, what did he do?_

_Naruto's beautiful face. He was looking at him. Big eyes, soft lips._

_'I really, wanna do you'_

Sasuke groaned again. Just when Naruto seemed to be slowly getting closer to him, he had to go and do something like that.

He opened his eyes and looked around again. Although, that didn't explain how he ended up in the street in front of his own house.

An old man walking on the road stepped around him, giving him a strange look and muttering about, 'brats these days'

Sasuke noticed that there were a lot more people walking around. All of them were looking at him with mixed looks of amusement, irritation or suspicion. He also noticed an insistent poking on his left shoulder.

He slowly, very, very slowly turned his head in that direction, to see a kid with a mop of dark hair poking him with a stick. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, thinking hard. He knew the kid.

"Ryumu"

The kid gave him a vicious poke and hissed, "Ryuga"

Sasuke merely grunted and made to lay back on the ground. Sitting was so exhausting. He winced when the brat nearly screamed near his ear, "HEY"

He growled back, "What?"

The kid had the audacity to smirk at him, "You should get inside if you don't want to get arrested for being a nuisance"

Sasuke muttered, "You're a nuisance" and turned his back on the kid. He sighed and got up when he saw that more and more people were starting to look pissed off.

Feeling the whole world tilt on its side, Sasuke stumbled inside, all the while ignoring the kid's sniggering.

He groaned for the umpteenth time trying not to make any jarring movements while trying to lay down on the mattress. Sasuke closed his eyes, trying to sleep off his headache. There was a lot of trying involved and he needed some peace and quiet. And of course, the world had to ruin that.

"Man, I didn't know you were such a pervy old guy"

He whispered back, hoping the damn brat would get the hint and do the same, "The hell're you talking about?"

"Naruto was trying to get you into your house. You were no help, he had to hold up your entire weight"

Sasuke couldn't stop a small smile from creeping up. Naruto was truly something else. He even had been willing to take his drunken ass back to his place. _Even after the way I behaved._

"And then you grabbed his butt."

Sasuke snapped his eyes open. So that's why he was dumped in the street.

He groaned again.

* * *

Neji and Shikamaru had visited him when he had been comatose on the bed, with the kid again poking him. They said that they had made a bet to see if he was still alive and had come to see who won. Sasuke knew the truth though, they were worried about him. He was touched. That feeling dimmed a little when he saw Neji grumble and hand over some money to Shikamaru.

Before leaving, they told him about his new duties as a part of Team 7 under Kakashi's command. They told him the location and also that Naruto looked very angry and was very likely to kill him. And if he did, Neji would win since the timeframe for the bet was a week.

It took him three hours to get ready for his first real mission. Three hours for his headache to subside to a tolerable level, for the water to clear up, and to kick out the brat who still wouldn't stop calling him a pervy old man.

* * *

When he reached the bridge, the first thing his eyes landed on was Naruto and Sakura. He sighed and rubbed his face when he saw Naruto's dark expression. He walked over and opened his mouth to say something and shut it as soon as the blonde shot him a glare.

He wasn't going to back down though, "Naruto I'm sorry"

The blonde pushed himself off the railing and started walking away. Sasuke hadn't been expecting that and followed him. When the blonde refused to stop even after Sasuke had called his name out several times, the Uchiha reached out and grabbed the blonde's arm.

Naruto whirled around and leveled Sasuke with a glare to end all glares. Sasuke tried again, looking Naruto straight into his eyes, "I am sorry. I really am."

Naruto rose one eyebrow and quoted Sasuke from last night, "You want to do me?" Sasuke flinched. Hm, yes. Not one of his finer moments.

He ran a hand through his hair. "About yesterday, I came to tell you that I like you" He got a little hopeful when he saw Naruto's expression turn thoughtful and serious.

"Why?'

Sasuke blinked at the question, "Why?"

Naruto nodded, "Yes, why do you like me?"

"Err. You're hot –" Sasuke hurried along with his reply when he saw blue eyes narrow.

"You're a nice person. I don't know. I really like you."

Naruto gave a soft sigh and asked in low voice, "Do you remember anything about me from before you came back?"

Sasuke frantically racked his brain to come up with something; he had a feeling that saying no would be disastrous.

"The rat"

While he was glad that he did in fact come up with something, he was also trying to get the blonde to react – To get him angry, to get him to hit him, anything other than this blank serious face. He didn't know how to take it when Naruto let the comment slide.

"That doesn't count. Even the real Sasuke didn't remember that."

Now, that pissed off Sasuke, "The **real** Sasuke? **I** **am** the real Sasuke"

Naruto shook his head.

_Fuck. Not this again._ His grip on the blonde's arm became tighter.

"Damn it Naruto. There's just one Sasuke. And that's me. "

Naruto shook his head again. "He's the one I love"

Sasuke grit his teeth. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Things were going fine, fantastic even, and now this.

"Is this just because I got drunk and told you that I want to sleep with you? Didn't I make that clear right from the beginning?"

Naruto spoke in a level voice and that made Sasuke even angrier, "That's just it. You don't remember anything. The real Sasuke- "The blonde paused and rephrased when the grip on his arm became close to crushing, "The old Sasuke hated me in the beginning. You met me and just out of the blue you like me?"

"What the fuck does that even mean? You don't like me coz I didn't hate you?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

Naruto closed his eyes while shaking his head and tried to remove Sasuke's hand off of him.

Sasuke grit his teeth and hissed, "What the fuck do you people what from me? You hated the way I was before. And you hate me now."

When Naruto spoke, his voice came out tired, "I don't hate you. It just won't work out between us."

Sasuke pulled Naruto close against him, "That's only because you won't let it." He grabbed the blonde's shoulder with his other hand and pulled him into a bruising kiss, punishing the blonde for doing this to him. For making no sense. For driving him crazy.

Naruto struggled against him. But Sasuke held on, his grip tightening. He knew that he was probably hurting the blonde, but didn't stop. When Naruto bit his lip hard to get him to let go, Sasuke figured that he probably deserved it. The blonde pulled back, panting hard and Sasuke was distracted looking at swollen pink lips, paying no mind to his own bleeding ones.

"Trouble in paradise?"

Both of them flinched. Kakashi jumped down from a nearby tree. Naruto took advantage of Sasuke's distraction and used the chance to break free from his grip.

Kakashi pocketed his book and looked at them, taking in Sasuke's bleeding lips and Naruto's own disheveled appearance. He smiled at his students. Naruto glared at Kakashi and Sasuke one last time before leaving.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and glanced at Kakashi before turning his eyes to Naruto. Kakashi was still smiling and also looking at the disappearing blonde.

"He likes you"

That single sentence got Sasuke's attention. He looked at the white haired man questioningly, not voicing it out just in case he had in fact imagined it.

"You just need to make him accept it"

"How?'

Kakashi shrugged, "Woo him"

"How?"

Kakashi then turned fully to Sasuke and placed his hand on his student's shoulder, "I will teach you."

"And I'll help", chimed in Ryuga from the bushes. Sasuke was surprised at the boy's presence while Kakashi seemed hardly phased. Being as engrossed as he was with Naruto, he hadn't even noticed Kakashi or the kid. And speaking of the brat, _Was he stalking him?_

He turned toward Sakura who had just joined them after seeing the whole thing from a distance. She shrugged, "Hey, don't look at me. Naruto will kill me if I help you. Besides, I really don't want to know what Kakashi's idea of wooing is"

Sasuke followed Sakura's pointed look at the porn sticking out of Kakashi's pocket.

He looked at the sky for help.

* * *

Naruto squeezed his eyes closed, refusing to let his tears escape.

He didn't want to get hurt again. He was still picking up the pieces after Sasuke had left him. He didn't want to start a relationship with a man whose affection was based on some residual feelings from a previous life. When the real thing couldn't hold them together, how can secondhand feelings be enough?

It didn't help that he had felt guilty when he let Sasuke kiss him the other day. This guy was so different from the Sasuke that he knew that he seemed like a completely different person. He felt like he was cheating on Sasuke. With Sasuke.

Naruto gave a frustrated sound and pulled the covers over his head.

He fell into a fitful sleep, hoping his dreams would give him a clue about what to do.

* * *

_They were naked and in Sasuke's bed. Naruto was nearly lying on top on Sasuke with the side of his face pressed against the dark haired boy's chest and his eyes drooping. He was so tired. And so sore. He heard the other boy's heat beat, letting it lull him into sleep. He felt so warm. So safe._

_Long fingers were threading through his hair and the other hand was caressing his back. _

_He wanted to stay like this forever. He wondered if Sasuke felt the same. _

_Right at that moment Sasuke placed the hand previously on his hair against his face and lifted it up to face him. The dark haired boy simply looked at him for long moments which felt like hours. Naruto forgot to breathe on seeing the emotion swirling in those dark eyes._

_Then, Sasuke kissed him. It was gentle and chaste. A promise._

_He felt the same._

* * *

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